The Academy III: Tournament of Champions

The Academy #3

by T.Z. Layton

Leo tries to lead his team to glory in some of the most exciting, high-stakes soccer in the world.Last season, Leo and his teammates saved the Lewisham Knights by avoiding a last-place finish in the U14 Premier League. Their future looks bright—until they learn the adult Knights have dropped down to the second division, again putting the future of the U14s in jeopardy.All might not be lost. The team owner has entered the U14s in the Tournament of Champions, which takes place over the summer. Leo and his teammates will pack their bags and travel across Europe to play against some of the top youth teams in the world. But the tournament isn’t just for pride and a trophy. Something else is at a loophole that allows the winner of the tournament to stay in the youth Premier League.The competition will be fiercer than ever. No one is giving the Knights a chance to win. As if the tourney wasn’t enough to deal with, someone is trying to sabotage the team, and the Knights have a new star player with a serious attitude problem.The mountain to climb has never seemed so high. Can Leo find a way to pull his team together and have a fighting chance in the Tournament of Champions?

Genres: Sports, Childrens, Middle Grade, Soccer, Realistic Fiction, Fiction

296 pages, Paperback

Published January 6, 2026

About the author

T.Z. Layton is the award-winning author of the bestselling Academy series, which has been translated into multiple languages and optioned for film. The author is also a soccer dad, youth coach, referee, former collegiate player, and lifelong fan of the beautiful game.

To stay up to date on the Academy series and other stories by T.Z. Layton, it’s best to visit his website (tzlaytonbooks.com) and join his newsletter.

Reviews

[Traci Thomas]

Layton has done it again. I love these books so much and so do my kids. I really liked the addition of coach Beppe and the travel throughout Europe. Some of the in game writing can be a lot and confusing to imagine. Overall I just love Leo and the whole team.

[Paddy Wright]

This book is a great book for young readers because this book shows Leo starting the tournament of champions while discovering many countries around the world. This book also shows; teamwork, mischief, accomplishment, and so much more! In the story, the first team they play they lose but as they go to other countries things get weirder and the team learns some soccer skills and life lessons along the way. So will the mischief continue or will the team lose the tournament of champions.

[Chrissy]

I found myself looking forward to reading this with my 7-year-old son and loved the European travel aspect that was introduced in the story, highlighting the things that made each city different (and special) from the others. There was still plenty of soccer and the sabotage aspect definitely raised the stakes. Just a fun read/series for any kid interested in competitive sports.

[James]

Love everything about this book! Love the mystery and the plot twist. Plus Just the all out soccer duels and battles.

[Anna Judice]

This book by T. Z. Layton is definitely my FAVORITE 🤩! It keeps you on your toes! But Leo is having the best time in this book… his team is ranked last in the league. Worser yet, getting accused for something he didn’t do that could have cost him of the team! Could he lead his team to victory in the Tournament of Champions or get innocently kicked of the team?

[Caleb M.]

4 ⭐ (Extremely Good)

This series is just so much fun. I really have enjoyed every book. This one is probably my least favorite overall, but I'd be lying if I said it still wasn't an absolute blast to go through.

Layton does an amazing job of laying out different characters to fall in love with. And how he weaves story that is fun mixed with the right amount of soccer is just brilliant. A lot of times I fell like sports books/movies surround the sport around the story. These novels the sport is intrinsically intertwined with the story and part of it as a whole. Which I really appreciate.

We will eventually get to book 4. Which I am super excited to get to. But it takes some time to read books where my whole family of four is available, and these books are with all four of us.

Shout out to the audio version as well. As we are listening to this it's hard to not be impressed by the narrator. He does a wonderful job of capturing emotions by the characters, especially Brock, throughout all the books.

If you have any kind of interest in soccer at all this is totally worth listening (or reading) to. If you don't care about soccer, but love organized sports and want a good book that shows teamwork and hard work dedicated to the craft, this is still worth your time. An easy recommend. For adults and kids alike.

[Lexi Bennett]

Bentley (age 10): It was really exciting! I liked that the story kept moving and there was always something happening. The characters made good choices but also messed up sometimes, which made them feel real. My favorite part was how the team worked together even when things got hard. I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen next.

Mom: I appreciated how it balanced action, teamwork, and real-life challenges in a way that keeps young readers engaged without feeling overwhelming. The characters continue to grow in believable ways, having both wins and setbacks that spark good conversations with kids about perseverance and responsibility. Bentley loved the pace of the story, and I enjoyed seeing how it held his attention from start to finish. This series continues to be a solid pick for middle-grade readers who enjoy sports, teamwork, and adventurous plots.

[Hannah Weise]

What a great book in this series! My oldest has NEVER been excited to read until we came across this series. This book was exciting as they went into different countries for games and there was a bit of a mystery situation which was a great discussion point with my son and I. We are both so so glad there there is a 4th book and now a 5th book in the works!

[Benton Proctor]

I like how this book isn’t just about Leo’s team in the 14U premier league and it changes by them being in a tournament. I enjoyed how the book had events out side of soccer, such as activities Leo and his teammates would do. Good book overall.

[Reader]

I think the the book is amazing I love soccer and I think Leo is epic and soooo enthusiastic 😎

[C Potts]

A must buy

It was amazing the way Leo travelled around Europe with his team and clutched up at the end.
Definitely recommended to 8-12 year old football fans.

[Monique Richey]

I’m loving this series, and looking forward to book #4. Our family started listening to this on audio and has enjoyed reading all about Leo and his soccer adventures and growth.

[Read_with_Beans]

Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Kids for providing an ARC of, The Academy III: Tournament of Champions by T.Z. Layton.

I cannot recommend this series enough. I grew up playing soccer and, therefore, am biased to loving the main storyline, but this series is about so much more than just soccer. As this is book three in the series, readers will have come to know and love T.Z. Layton’s writing style and the main character, Leo, and literal team of side characters. Let’s not forget about Coach Sam and Tig. I love how the author can weave life lessons into the storyline without it being heavy-handed. Whether he is covering topics of bullying, self-esteem, hard work, fairness, respect, teamwork, and believing in yourself.

In this particular book, Leo is going on a European Tour as part of the Tournament of Champions and is facing the challenges of a new coach (don’t worry, Sam will be back), relegation if they don’t win the tournament, and someone trying to sabotage the team. Needless to say, this book is packed with friends, soccer, life lessons, descriptions of international travel, and many beautiful European cities, and so much more.

Please pick up this book for yourself or any young readers in your life. I cannot recommend this series enough, and I am incredibly grateful I found it.

[czytam_doucemmment]

IG czytam_doucemmment W trzecim tomie „Akademii Piłkarskiej. Turniej Mistrzów” bohaterowie ponownie przekonują się, że droga do sukcesu rzadko bywa prosta. Przed chłopcami kolejne treningi, wymagające mecze i wyzwania, które wystawią na próbę nie tylko ich piłkarskie umiejętności, ale także charakter. Gdy stawka rośnie, a przyszłość drużyny staje pod znakiem zapytania, każda decyzja i każdy mecz nabierają ogromnego znaczenia. Choć piłka nożna jest tu w centrum wydarzeń, ta historia opowiada o czymś znacznie więcej. O odpowiedzialności, presji, sile przyjaźni i współpracy oraz o tym, że największe zwycięstwa rodzą się z wytrwałości, wzajemnego wsparcia i wiary w siebie. Z przyjemnością kibicowałam bohaterom od pierwszej do ostatniej strony, bo ich emocje są autentyczne, a sukcesy naprawdę cieszą -właśnie dlatego, że trzeba na nie ciężko zapracować. To kolejna część serii, która nie tylko dostarcza sportowych emocji, ale też pokazuje młodym czytelnikom, jak wiele można osiągnąć, gdy gra się do jednej bramki. Dynamiczna akcja i krótkie rozdziały sprawiają, że książkę czyta się jednym tchem, a po zakończeniu od razu ma się ochotę sięgnąć po następny tom. Jeśli macie w domu małego fana piłki nożnej to zaproponujcie mu tę serię na wakacje☺️ Dziękuję @czytalisek_wydawnictwo za egzemplarz 🥰

[Moon.jak.ksiezyc]

Końcówka drugiego tomu dała naprawdę wiele nadziei Leo oraz zdecydowanie pozytywny widok na jego przyszłą karierę. Udział w elitarnym turnieju? Świetna sprawa! Tylko podczas przerwy wakacyjnej okazuje się, że nie wszystko rysuje się w tak świetlanych kolorach. Do Leo docierają informacje, że seniorska drużyna Lewisham Knights spadła do drugiej ligi, więc i młodzieżowej dywizji również grozi spadek.

Chyba, że wygrają Turniej Mistrzów.
Zrobi się naprawdę gorąco, bo drużyny grające w Europie są na najwyższym poziomie. Tym sposobem Leo wraz z kolegami będzie musiał zmierzyć się z wieloma elitarnymi młodzieżowymi klubami.

Jakby tego było mało na horyzoncie pojawi się nowy trener i ktoś postanowi sabotować ich wysiłki praktycznie przed każdym meczem.
W tym tomie robi się naprawdę gorąco, a autor oprócz zacięcia piłkarskiego postanawia skupić się tym razem również na wielu aspektach dorastania i problemach rodzinnych.

Tak, jak podczas lektury poprzednich tomów również i od tego jest się ciężko oderwać. Przyznaję, że będę czekać na kolejne tomy przygód Leo z niecierpliwością!

[Ms. Yingling]

E ARC Provided by Edleweiss Plus

After a few weeks relaxing back in Ohio, Leo is devastated to learn that since the professional team associated with the Lewisham Knights did poorly, the U14 team will also be relegated to the second division. This would impact his future career! There is a loophole, though, and if his team can win the Tournament of Champions, they can stay in the Premier League. Their coach, Samantha, has to spend the summer getting certified, but the league gets retired Italian coach Beppe Grifone to work for them. There are many ups and down as the team works on their skills in order to win the tournament. There are two books after this one, so it's not too shocking that they win the tournament, and Leo is even named MVP.

My students really like this series, which is one of the longer ones about soccer.

[Stephanie Berke]

This series continues to not disappoint my fourth grade son and myself. We have enjoyed reading this third book as much as the first and second. The author keeps readers interested with mysterious twists and new characters. Traveling the European cities during the tournament and all the description of each city was fabulous! Suspense, drama, compassion, integrity and confidence are just some of the life lessons in this series.

[Libby]

Layton does it again. While as an adult, I found the plot somewhat predictable, middle grade readers will love the football (soccer) friendships as well as the rivalries. This series entry has an added mystery element, trying to figure out who keeps sabotaging the Knights, trying to keep them from winning the Tournament of Champions. A must read for series fans.

Review based on a DRC received through NetGalley.

[Beth Anne]

Another great audiobook! This series continues to impress me. I loved how different twists are introduced to keep things new and exciting: new coaches and players, different locations, different kinds of soccer practices and games. Plus this third book had a mystery!

I think this was actually my least favorite (for spoiler-y reasons) and yet we all loved it. Kids immediately asked if we could start book 4 and I can’t wait.

[Danielle Webster]

I seriously love this series. We found it by accident, sitting innocently on a thrift store shelf and after reading the first one, have been riveted. I have never been one to enjoy sports stories but this one is so well written, if you aren’t a soccer fan before you begin the series, you will at least be rooting for Leo and his team by the end.

[Michelle]

My 11 year old son was so engaged in this book it was a pleasure to read to him at night. When Leo's team would score my son would jump around and celebrate as though he was there watching. Totally awesome series for a soccer loving kid.

[Yaqs]

Such a fun third installment and I loved the mystery angle. I didn't get it so it shows how well written it is. Also, I definitely want to see prague now!

The pasta and the bees were fun :)

Still hard to imagine all the football plays!

[Sarah]

Charlie gave it a 4.5. Interesting, funny, some mystery, and good life lessons too.

[Magenta]

What happening next, Leo?! Tell us!

[Marbellis Castillo]

The best book ever

[Deepti]

Loved Coach Beppe and his pasta training, the whirlwind tour of Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Prague, and Munich as a bonus along with different countries sporting philosophies primer

[Courtney Lynn]

amazing

Best book ever if your a big soccer fan I highly recommend this book for you and your family this book is fire

[Kenneth]

Read with my kid. This series is fantastic for soccer/sports fan kids. Great characters. We enjoyed looking at the globe and maps as they traveled city to city.

[Blackflyingdragon]

Best soccer book

[Bridgid]

My soccer-obsessed 8 year old loved it.